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notions of grief and catharsis among the Toraja
Author(s) -
WELLENKAMP JANE C.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1988.15.3.02a00050
Subject(s) - catharsis , grief , indigenous , expression (computer science) , psychology , sociology , psychoanalysis , social psychology , psychotherapist , ecology , computer science , biology , programming language
This article concerns indigenous notions regarding grief and mourning among the Toraja of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It argues that Toraja beliefs about the expression of grief are part of an implicit “cathartic” theory of emotion that is closely related to ideas concerning “heat” and “coolness.” The article concludes by suggesting that indigenous notions about the expression of grief correspond closely to the experiences of many grieving individuals.